Data Science Grand Challenges

• Inference vs prediction
• Dealing with assumptions
• Quantifying uncertainty
• Reproducibility
• Keeping the Science in Data Science
• Keeping the Scientists in data science: Career questions

Inference vs prediction

Prediction:

Inference vs Prediction

Inference vs Prediction

• Breiman (2001) The two cultures
• Clark et al (2001) Ecological Forecasting: the Emerging Imperitive

Dealing with assumptions

• Keeping assumptions in focus during analysis
• Communicating assumptions to audience
• Testing assumptions

Quantifying uncertainty

• formal uncertainty vs acutal uncertainty
• uncertainty with respect to assumptions
• communicating uncertainty

Reproducibility

• Data Science vs Open Science

Keeping the Science in Data Science

Keeping the Scientist in Data Science

Academic career paths for data scientists?

• Departmental (or interdepartmental) homes
• the “Researcher-Developer”: recognition for data and software products?
• the path of the “Research Software Engineer”